Plant Parasitic Nematodes: A New Mechanism for Injury of Hosts

Abstract
Pathological effects of Ditylenchus dipsaci and Meloidogyne hapla are related to the disturbance of the auxin balance in the host by the nematode. The parasites produce an auxin inactivator, apparently enzymatic, that enables Ditylenchus dipsaci to stunt host stem apices and Meloidogyne hapla to reduce its galling potential.